Music Ignites The Night
by Makai Goddess Ookami
Summary: Rush is insufferable. Chloe is lost. TJ is waiting. Eli's tired of being bossed around. A series of ten short ficlets that aren't really related. Eli/Rush. Eli/Chloe. Chloe/Scott. TJ/Young. Camille/Sharon.


Title: Music Ignites the Night (With Passionate Fire)  
Author: MGO/Sephirothflame  
Rating: G-PG13  
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Eli Wallace, Ronald Greer, Tamara "TJ" Johansen, Camille Wray, Nicholas Rush, Everett Young - Eli x Rush, Eli x Chloe, Scott x Chloe, Young x TJ, Camille x Sharon  
Warning(s): Language  
Spoiler(s): Up through the 1.10, "Justice", just to be safe.  
Prompt(s): **iTunes Fic Challenge**: Rules: _**1**. Pick your favorite fandom. **2**. Put iTunes on shuffle. **3**. Write a drabble for the first ten songs. **4**. You can only write for the duration of the song._  
Word Count: Collectivly, 2,548.  
Rants: Sorry I haven't been around in fandom much. Real life came crashing down pretty hard. Still, I saw that a friend had tagged me to do this about a month ago and I still hadn't, so I figured I'd do it now. Who can say 'no' to more _Stargate Universe_ anyways? And I can honestly say that some of these got away from me, and don't really relate to the song that inspire them. My taste in music is pretty random, too.  
Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of _Stargate Universe_. Wish I was, but if wishs were fishes...

* * *

_Breakfast at Tiffany's_ – The Ramones

"You know, you've become a real hard-ass since we got on this ship," Young said, glancing over at Rush across from the Control Room.

Rush's eyes smoldered in cold fury, but Colonel Young wasn't fazed. "Your point is?" He asked curtly.

Young shrugged. "You were at least tolerable on Icarus Base. Everyone wants to kill you, you know."

"You included?" Rush asked, turning his attention back to his consol.

"Only most of the time," Young replied honestly. Rush snorted, but didn't reply. "Listen, no one wants to be here-"

"I think I'd figured that bit out by now," Rush snapped, "What, with the constant moaning this crew does."

Young sighed heavily, pressing the heel of his hand into his eyes. "I'm just saying you shouldn't be such an intolerable ass all the time."

"Like it'll make a difference," Rush muttered, but Young heard him.

"Maybe they'd be more willing to help-" Young started, but Rush snorted.

"They'd still be idiots," Rush replied.

* * *

_You're Beautiful_ – James Blunt

Eli was in love with Chloe. She was smart, sweet, funny and so pretty. She was everything Eli could ever want, and everything he would never get.

Girls like Chloe didn't fall in love with guys like Eli. Girls like Chloe liked guys like Matthew Scott. Eli had realized this long ago, had come to terms with this.

But Chloe – Eli couldn't take his mind off of her, even though he knew she didn't realize how much he cared for her. He couldn't tell her, either, in case she pitied him. He didn't want to ruin their friendship.

So that one time, when she was drunk and kissed him and forgot about it the next day – Eli didn't remind her. This little, special moment with Chloe – even though she didn't remember it – was enough.

It was Eli's moment, and no one could take it away from him. No one could ruin this, not even Rush's constant bad mood. Not even eternity on the_ Destiny_.

Eli would always remember Chloe's kiss, and he would always love her – even if he wasn't in love with her anymore. For Eli, that was enough.

* * *

_Hey Jude_ – The Beatles

The moment Eli realized he might be in love with Nicholas Rush, he realized that the universe was screwed up and that he must of done something to make The Powers That Be really,_ really _angry at him.

Eli might have made a lot of mistakes in his life, but this had to have been the worst.

Nicholas Rush was absolutely insufferable. He was short in temper, curt and sarcastic, and had a habit of ignoring everyone and keeping life threatening information to himself.

Eli didn't know what to do. He stood up for the man when he wasn't attacking him for lying. He felt like he was tattling when he reported on Colonel Young, but he couldn't begin to explain it to anyone.

He must have been growing on Rush though, at least a little, because he was the only person the Scottish doctor was willing to work with, but Eli didn't know if it was enough.

He needed more from Rush, more than he thought Rush would ever be able to give, but Eli was sure if he was patient, it would work out in the end.

If Rush stopped lying to everyone and Eli stopped finding out – Eli wasn't going to lie to anybody, if he could help it – then maybe, Rush would realize how much he meant to Eli and he'd give in.

Or he'd be a completely manipulative bastard and abuse Eli's affections, which wouldn't surprise Eli, but he really, really hoped it would be the first of two options.

* * *

_Shed Some Light_ – Shinedown

"Hey," Chloe said. Greer looked over his shoulder at her, and she moved to sit next to him on the bench facing the large window, watching Space speed by outside.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked, turning his attention back to the window.

"Not tired," Chloe replied. They sat in silence for a long moment, Greer content to not speak, but Chloe glanced at him nervously.

"What?" He asked, glancing at her out of the corners of his eyes.

"Do you ever feel lost?" She asked, frowning. "I mean, besides the obvious '_We're in Space' _lost?"

Greer shrugged a shoulder, making a noncommittal noise. "We're in Space," he replied flatly.

"I know," Chloe said, then sighed heavily. "I just – I don't know. I don't think I fit in, here, on Destiny. I'm not military, and I'm not a scientist."

"Sounds like a real conundrum," Greer replied, his tone sarcastic. He glanced at her again, and sighed. "No one wants to be here."

"I know," Chloe said.

"Most of these people? They don't even like each other," Greer continued. "They want to tear each other limb from limb. No one likes me 'cause I'm the only one who admits to feeling like that."

"Why don't they like me?" Chloe asked.

"You're standoffish and don't really help with anything," Greer replied honestly. "You're a cheerleader, trying to rally a group of people who want to be miserable."

"Eli's right, you are an ass," Chloe scowled, turning her attention back into Space.

"At least I'm honest," he pointed out. "Not many people on this ship are."

Chloe had to silently agree.

* * *

_Angel_ – Sarah McLachlan

Eli was staring off into Space rhapsodically and Chloe was watching him in silent amusement. It was something that Rush was more likely to do, but she didn't really want to think about him. Rush was an ass, and Scott was a father, and her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend, and she was stuck on ship millions of light years from home.

Chloe wondered if staring helped him forget, or if he was thinking of home. Either way, Chloe didn't really care. Eli could understand her plight – she told him everything, and she wanted him to distract her.

Gently, she touched his elbow, and he startled, looking down at her in surprise. "Hey, Chloe. What's up?" He asked, a shy, nervous smile making it's way onto his face. He always smiled when he saw her. It made warm fuzzies stir inside of her, and she wasn't used to it.

Silently, Chloe pulled Eli into a hug, resting her cheek against his chest. Hesitantly, Eli wrapped his arms around her as well. "Are you okay?" Eli asked softly, and Chloe pulled back. She could see him immediately regret speaking, and she smiled gently.

"You looked sad," she said, shrugging, her hair sliding over her shoulders.

Shaking his head, Eli forced a laugh. "I'm okay, really. I was just thinking about Dr. Rush. I wonder if he's okay?" Chloe shrugged a thin shoulder. Eli started to speak, but hesitated, and flushed slightly. He didn't have to say anything, Chloe knew what he wanted.

Standing on her tip toes, she kissed his cheek gently, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm hug. Eli hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a long time in silence.

* * *

_Bad Day_ – Daniel Powter

For the most part, Camille kept to herself. It was easier that way. It wasn't that she didn't like the crew –she found most of them tolerable for the most part – it was just ever since she went home to see Sharon, she missed home more and more.

When she missed home, she drew. They had enough paper stocked up that anyone would notice she'd been pilfering it. The first drawer of her nightstand was full of pictures of Sharon and their home, of the beach and the boat.

When she drew these things, she felt better. For a little while, she almost felt normal. Any minute now her phone would ring, or Sharon would bring her a cup of coffee and pull her into a tight hug. It was heartbreaking when she was finished and she realized where she was.

It was good for her though. Days were rough on _Destiny_, and it wasn't like she was the only one dreaming of home, aching and longing for the touch of a loved one. This was an outlet, a safe one, and she couldn't ever forget Sharon's face if she drew it a million times.

* * *

_Loose Lips_ – Kimya Dawson

Even though he knew it was a bad idea, Eli couldn't stop himself from kissing Rush. The older man was startled, staring at Eli in blank confusion and Eli flushed under his intense gaze.

"Eli – " Rush started, his voice strangled, as if unsure of what to say. Eli liked this. He doesn't think he'd ever seen the man so utterly confused.

"I just wanted you to know," Eli flushed harder, "before you go and potentially kill yourself by pissing Young off again – that –"

"That what?" Rush asked, prying his shirt from Eli's grasp, but didn't release his hand.

"I love you, I guess," Eli said. "This plan was so much more smooth and elaborate in my head. I don't know what went wrong. I'm really not spontaneous."

Rush blinked in slow confusion, trying to work out the puzzle that was Eli, before letting his hands go and nodding once. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

_American Girl_ – The Goo Goo Dolls

When Chloe was young, she wanted to travel the world. Climb the Eiffel Tower, fall in love with an Italian guy, gamble in Monaco and chase pigeons in Trafalgar Square. The farthest she's even been from home is Canada, and even that was only for a weekend.

Her mother told her every year they'd go the following summer. She just got over pneumonia, it was an Election year – her father needed her support here, or her grandmother had died and her mother couldn't bare to leave in such a depressed state.

Each year, Chloe allowed her mother to convince her that these excuses were good enough. There would always be next year – it wasn't like The Great Wall would crumble, or The Holocaust museum would stop existing. She'd always have time to see them, the time just wasn't now.

Chloe wondered if her mom remembered these moments as well as she did. The observation deck of _Destiny_ was empty, the ship was quiet, and she was on the far end of Space, alone. She always found something new to remember when she was alone in the dark, watching Space speed by and Earth get farther and farther away.

A small, spiteful part of Chloe was hoping her mother was in tears about not showing her the world before she'd been sentenced to an eternity in Space. The other part of her just wanted to snuggle under a quilt on the couch with her mother and watch soap operas for the rest of their lives.

Chloe knew she wanted the latter more, but the former seemed damned appealing at the moment.

* * *

_To The Moon & Back_ – Savage Garden

The first time Young moaned Emily's name instead of hers, TJ knew she should have broken it off. The thought of being alone again was so daunting though that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Young was apologetic, sheepish, embarrassed but it wasn't the last time it had happened.

She wasn't sure what gave her the strength to leave him, though she was glad she did. She didn't want to spend an eternity with a man still in love with his wife. It isn't fair to her, and it isn't fair to him. So for now, she's happy to spend her time saving lives and keeping to herself.

She's oblivious to the way some of the crew looks at her. She doesn't have time for a casual fling – she can't start something she can't put her heart into, that the other person won't reciprocate fully. That was her first mistake with the Colonel.

TJ's waiting. She's waiting for someone, she isn't sure who, isn't sure why, but she knows when it sinks into the crew that they really are never going home, then maybe she'll consider making a move. Right now, she's happier by herself. If she tried to commit to anyone, she'd be just a release, and TJ's tired of that.

She wants something more. She doesn't mind spending eternity on_ Destiny _if it means falling in love –really falling in love – she doesn't have much to go home to. Yeah, she misses her family, but it isn't the same. She wants a family of her own. Someone to have kids with. There was no one like that on Earth, not for her.

Maybe there isn't anyone like that for her on_ Destiny _either, but only time can tell, and this is something TJ is willing to wait for. It's not like she's sitting and twiddling her thumbs – there is always a life that needs saving.

There are worse things to wait for, after all.

* * *

_I'm a Pilot_ – Dos Gringos

Eli wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Dr. Rush. The first time they had met, the man had been polite and kind. He explained things and smiled a lot more. As soon as they started working on the math though, after Eli's solution didn't work, it was as if Rush was an entirely different person.

He attacked Eli's solution verbally, and then didn't let them dial Earth when the base came crashing down around them. Eli didn't know if Earth would really have been trouble – no one really did – and Rush had developed a nasty habit of lying to them, it was hard to tell what was the truth anymore.

Rush was completely and utterly self-centered. He was impatient and wouldn't tolerate the presence of anyone else. Eli was pretty sure he'd seen Lisa Park leaving the control room in tears the other day, and it really wouldn't have surprised him. He was more surprised it had taken so long for Rush to crush the overly optimistic girl.

The worst part, in Eli's opinion, was that Rush treated him like a lapdog and expected him to jump through hoops on Rush's command. Eli liked the man – more than anyone else on _Destiny_ did, in any case – but if Rush kept up with the attitude he'd have to join the unofficial "Dr. Rush is a Bastard" fanclub. Most of the crew was part of it already, and maybe then someone could appreciate Eli's genius.

He was tired of being the fall guy when something went wrong, tired of being yelled at. None of this was his fault, after all. Eli just wished someone else would realize it as well. Preferably Chloe, which would be followed by her showing her affections physically, hopefully with no clothes on – but Eli wasn't picky. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

Still, Eli thought with a huff, storming out of the control room, he wished someone would knock off of his high horse. Maybe then life on_ Destiny _would be tolerable.


End file.
